


Long Live The King

by MiladyDeWinter (Techno_Queen)



Series: KQ Prompt Fills [1]
Category: King's Quest (Video Games)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Gen, Prompt Fill, i might explore this idea further another time, kinda crummy but i was just playing around with the concept
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-27
Updated: 2019-05-27
Packaged: 2020-03-20 02:41:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 532
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18983563
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Techno_Queen/pseuds/MiladyDeWinter
Summary: "It was so effortlessly easy, in the end.Why Manny doubted at all, he didn’t know. Perhaps it’s his instinctive fear of failure tearing at the seams, slowly infecting his mind despite his best attempts to contain it. Or perhaps it’s simply reasonable anxiety. Either way, it was fruitless; everything went swimmingly, and now he can rest easy, as soon as the coronation is over.As soon as his pawn takes the throne of Daventry."(Or: An AU where Manny is a little more careful during the tournament, and the results are less than ideal)





	Long Live The King

**Author's Note:**

> Fill for a writing prompt by promptsforthestrugglingauthor on tumblr. Check them out, they're awesome.

It was so effortlessly  _easy,_ in the end _._

Why Manny doubted at all, he didn’t know. Perhaps it’s his instinctive fear of failure tearing at the seams, slowly infecting his mind despite his best attempts to contain it. Or perhaps it’s simply reasonable anxiety. Either way, it was fruitless; everything went swimmingly, and now he can rest easy, as soon as the coronation is over.

As soon as his pawn takes the throne of Daventry.

To be fair, he wasn’t completely foolish to fear. Had he been a little less cautious, a little more impetuous, he might have ruined everything. Had he shown his cards too soon, had he allowed himself to be rattled by Graham’s victory in the duel of wits, had he rejoiced too soon and revealed himself for the tyrant he truly is, he wouldn’t be here now.

Graham’s victory was disturbing, to be sure. But Manny is nothing if not an opportunist, and within minutes of his plan falling to shambles, he swiftly constructed a new, stronger one. 

He himself may not be able to have the crown of Daventry directly _._  But if he played his cards right, he could be king in all but name. 

All he needed to do was strengthen some already existing bonds. Graham was so  _distraught_  after Achaka’s death, after all. There was nothing the naive knight wanted more than a shoulder to cry on, and Manny was all too  _happy_  to provide that shoulder. If there is one thing Manny can say with confidence, it’s that he’s the most loyal friend a person could ask for.

(He snorts at the thought. As if)

Desperate for someone to rely on, Graham easily fell prey to his manipulations, as Manny twisted his grief and insecurities until he’d shaped the fool into a tool he could use with ease, all while ingratiating himself further to Graham. It was child’s play, to turn Graham into his puppet.

And once that was complete…well, a little cheating there, some behind-the-scenes manipulations there, and Graham rose into the king’s favor. Some more hard work, and he became the king’s heir. A little poison in the king’s wine, and he became the king.

But not just any king, oh no. He is Manny’sking now, to use as he pleases, the perfect figurehead to disguise Manny’s rule. Graham is king in name alone;  _Manny_  is the true ruler of Daventry. 

With a sneer on his face, Manny watches from a corner as the coronation ceremony comes to a close, as the golden crown is settled firmly on Graham’s head. A part of Manny’s soul rankles at the injustice (it’s  _his_ crown that Graham so undeservedly wears,  _his_ throne that Graham is usurping) but he quashes it. He is master of himself and of his emotions, and he will not allow some base jealousy to bring him down when he’s so close to victory.

“Long live the king!” is the cry as Graham takes the throne, a cry that begins in a small corner of the town square and spreads across the crowd like wildfire. “Long live the king!”

 _Yes,_ Manny thinks, as the crowd cheers.  _Long live the king._

**Author's Note:**

> I admit this isn't very polished, but I was mostly playing around with the idea.
> 
> I find this concept interesting. Considering Graham's tremulous mental state in chapter 2, he was likely vulnerable to emotional manipulation. I think that Manny could have done some real damage had he seized the opportunity (and not shown his cards quite so early in the tournament).


End file.
